Onslow County man sentenced to prison for raping handicapped woman

ONSLOW COUNTY - A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty after authorities accused him of raping a handicapped woman over three years.

Local media outlets report 50-year-old Benjamin Lee O'Hara pleaded guilty in an Onslow County court on Wednesday to several charges, including four counts of second-degree forcible rape against a person who was mentally disabled.

District Attorney Ernie Lee said the victim was 20 years old when she told a teacher what she endured from 2012 through November 2015. O'Hara was arrested by the Onslow County Sheriff's Office in July 2016 and was jailed on a $2 million bond.

O'Hara was sentenced to between 18 and 37 years in prison, less time served in pre-trial confinement. When released from prison, O'Hara will have to register as a sex offender and undergo monitoring.